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Giving follows through to end

Charity leaders are surprised that residents are still so generous after a year of natural disasters that required them to donate.

By BETH N. GRAY
Published January 2, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - One Hernando County resident took a novel approach this year for her charity gift giving to the Daystar Life Center, which provides life's basics year-round to the needy and some extras at Christmas.

The woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, bought a gift per month and delivered the 12 purchases, including a new bicycle, to the center in December.

Her husband, Daystar office manager Rose Miller said, was relieved to get the gifts out of the house, especially the bicycle. He had been tempted to take it for a spin.

The woman's approach might have been different, but it was an act repeated often this holiday season.

Daystar and other Hernando charities reported more outpouring of goodwill than expected. Many charity officials worried before the holiday that donors had given their limit for hurricane and tsunami relief during the year.

"We did marvelously," Miller said. "We got food from Century 21 and St. Anthony's parish. Seven Hills gave 3,600 pounds of food. We gave out about 80 full bags of food plus 20 gift certificates for $20 each at Publix.

"We also received toys. We had enough to give to all the children who came with (those who received food bags and certificates). We had extra toys we were giving out through the window after we'd given to the families.

"We are so happy we were able to help the poor in our area. (The recipients) were thrilled."

Santa's Workshop Toy Drive, sponsored by the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, swelled the toy gifts for Daystar, having placed 18 collection receptacles throughout the county.

"We had a couple of volunteer stations we had to go back to a second time," said RSVP project coordinator Linda Graves.

Bob Ross, who with his wife, Dot, coordinates the Toys for Tots drive with U.S. Marine Corps League, Spring Hill Detachment 708, was even more enthusiastic.

"The campaign went excellent this year," he said. "We were able to meet all our commitments."

That included gifts to 3,793 children in 739 families. Although the figures were still preliminary, Ross said, he calculated at least 40 more recipients than last year.

He said he was surprised at the donations because many had given to natural disaster victims.

"We were amazed," he said, "but we are every year."

At the Dawn Center, a shelter for victims of domestic abuse, about 25 moms and their kids experienced merriness in what could have been an emotionally dismal Christmas.

"I think we did very well," center executive director Debbie Andrews said. "We had two major benefactors that really made sure all the women and the children in the shelter got their wish list."

One of the benefactors also paid for a party - complete with an appearance by Santa Claus - at the Jerome Brown Community Center for those enrolled in the center's crisis intervention program.

"Every kid got a gift, and moms got gifts to wrap and put under the tree," Andrews said.

Without the two generous benefactors, Andrews said, this year's donations would have been less than in recent years.

"We did pretty good," said Glenn Parkinson, site director at New Beginnings Youth Shelter, where 13 teenagers spent their Christmas. Donations included clothes plus CD players, CDs and gift cards.

"They had a good Christmas; some of them, they had a very good Christmas," Parkinson said, noting substantial gifts from the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce.

A report from the Hernando County Salvation Army, one of the county's largest charitable organizations, was unavailable. Top officials took last week off after a monthlong campaign for funds and food, matching gifts with recipients and providing holiday meals.

--Beth N. Gray can be reached at graybethn@earthlink.net

[Last modified January 2, 2006, 02:30:25]